Flyers Open November With a 2-1 Loss to the Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Roberto Luongo made 36 saves, rookie Aaron Ekblad scored his first NHL goal and the Florida Panthers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Saturday night.

Captain Willie Mitchell also scored for Florida, which has won three of four.

Ekblad, the Panthers' top pick in this year's draft, converted a slap shot from just inside the blue line, beating Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason on the short side.

Mason had 28 saves.

Vincent Lecavalier spoiled Luongo's bid for his second shutout of the season when he scored in traffic with 7.4 seconds left.

Florida gave another blue-collar effort against the Flyers, who had won four of five and collected 15 goals in that stretch.

The Panthers killed off six power-play opportunities by the Flyers, including a 5-on-3 situation midway through the third period.

Mitchell took a feed from Jussi Jokinen behind the net and fired a one-timer from the point past Mason to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead 9:07 into the game.

It was the first goal of the season for Mitchell, who signed with Florida on July 1 after spending the previous three seasons with Los Angeles. The defenseman's shot went between Mason's legs.

It was Mason's first start since he lost 4-0 to Chicago on Oct. 21.

The assist was the fifth in the past four games for Jokinen. The play was also aided by Brad Boyes' effort in keeping the pressure on deep in the zone.

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